Suboxone takes about eight days to be eliminated from your bodily systems. However, it’s metabolized through the liver, so it could still be detected beyond that. This is important information to know if you or a loved one are considering or currently undergoing opioid addiction treatment.
Suboxone also has a comparatively long half-life in contrast with other opioids. The half-life of opioids refers to the amount of time for half of one dose to leave the body. The half-life of Suboxone is 37 hours.
Knowing how long opioids are in one’s system and their half-lives are important to help track withdrawal systems and be mindful of drug test results.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is a prescription drug that physicians prescribe to treat opioid addiction. It can help relieve the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, which is why physicians often prescribe it in the context of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders.
Technically, Suboxone is a combination drug. It contains two different medications: buprenorphine and naloxone. It may come as a surprise to learn that both medications are, in fact, opioids, even though they are designed to treat the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. However, even though buprenorphine and naloxone are opioids, they do not produce the same intense high as illicit opiates like heroin.
While Suboxone is not as addictive as other opiates and is less frequently sought out as a drug of abuse, as an opioid, it does come with several risks. Understanding how long Suboxone stays in your system is essential to using or quitting the drug safely and effectively.
How the Body Breaks Down Suboxone
The body breaks down Suboxone in the liver, which is then processed by bile and kidneys into the urine. The broken-down components turn into metabolites, which then enter the bloodstream. These metabolites then incorporate themselves into different parts of the body, such as tissues and follicles.
How Long Does Suboxone Stay in your System?
Suboxone stays in your system for about eight days. A dose of Suboxone has a half-life of 37 hours. The exact time will vary from person to person, as everyone’s body and metabolism are different.
Suboxone Drug Tests
When testing for Suboxone, the drug itself will not appear on a test. Instead, tests look for the presence of active ingredients, such as buprenorphine, and their metabolites. There are four main ways of testing for the possible presence of the components of Suboxone which are saliva, blood, hair, and urine.
Saliva
Saliva tests are frequently called oral drug tests or mouth swab drug tests. Drugs will show up on oral drug tests as long as the drug is present in the blood. It takes around three days or 72 hours before Suboxene’s components stop showing up on Saliva tests.
Blood
Similarly to saliva, Suboxone stays in your blood for around 72 hours. A dose of Suboxone takes between 30 minutes to three and a half hours to become fully absorbed into the blood, which is when a blood test will start to turn up positive results. Admittedly, blood tests for Suboxone are rare but possible.
Hair
Hair tests for Suboxone and its components are also rare, but possible. The drug can be detectable in the hair within a week of the dose. Suboxone stays in your hair for three months. Blood feeds into the hair follicles, and the test involves analyzing the hair root.
Urine
Urine tests are the most common tests when looking for Suboxone. This is because suboxone stays in your urine for up to six days.
What Factors Affect Suboxone’s Detection Time?
Multiple factors can affect Suboxene’s detection time, such as general health. Some specific traits include:
- Health: Body fat content, metabolism speed, age, and the liver’s health can affect how fast the body processes substances, and how long it’s stored in the body.
- History of Usage: The size of the last dose and the length of abuse can affect the stage of the metabolic process at the time of the test.
- Genetics: Some people have gene variants that change how they metabolize buprenorphine. As a result, some may process Suboxone faster or slower than others.
Getting Treatment for Opiate Addiction
Treatment for opiate addiction can include care for handling withdrawal symptoms, therapy, and paving a path forward. If you or a loved one is looking for help with Suboxone detox, Agape Detox can offer a helping hand.
Agape Detox’s resort-like holistic center offers thoughtful care from trained professionals, residential treatment, and inpatient rehab. Speak to admissions at (855)-948-2936 to get involved with their safe, compassionate, and comforting detox process.
Stephanie Catalano is an accomplished Clinical Director at Agape Behavioral Healthcare. With a Master of Social Work degree, LCSW license, and extensive training in Rapid Resolution Therapy under her belt, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Her unique combination of education and experience allows her to provide exceptional care to clients and lead her team with confidence. Stephanie’s joy comes from witnessing the moments when her patients creatively connect the dots and bravely move toward reclaiming their power. Her purpose is to help individuals understand their past so they can create a future full of hope, growth, and success. Stephanie attributes a large portion of her success to the supportive culture and strong sense of community fostered by the Agape team.
